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You've got a lot going on right now. You may well be in the thick of full-time recruiting; you've taken on responsibilities for student groups, conferences, and other on-campus activities; and you never seem to find enough time to study as it is! So what do you do when you find people asking you to take on even more?

This week, we're going to discuss how to gently (but firmly) say "no" to requests for your time, so that you can focus on the activities that matter most to you!

The 100 Week Sprint team

Four ways to say NO without feeling guilty

Requests for your time (and, perhaps more importantly, your energy) come fast and furious during business school. It can be very easy to unthinkingly agree to those requests - after all, these are your friends, and what's more, it's flattering how much they want to work with you! However, to ensure that you're leaving enough time and energy for the tasks that are most important to you, you must learn how to say NO to some of those requests. 

1. Just be honest: "I'm glad you thought of me for this leadership role, but I'm really focused on [recruiting/student group/classes] right now." Your classmates will certainly understand where you're coming from - especially if you combine this tactic with our next suggestion.

Read on for more ways on how to say no gracefully and guilt-free!

Three ways to avoid having to say NO

The good news is, there are ways you can avoid some of the requests that you might need to say no to. Of course, there's no way of anticipating all the requests that are going to come your way - but setting boundaries and ground rules in student organizations and study groups will help you avoid some of those unwanted requests. 

1. Define roles and responsibilities clearly: make sure that everyone has a defined job and area of expertise - and that everyone is aware of the whole group's roles! That way, when someone approaches you for a task that falls outside your expertise, you can easily say, "I think that's so-and-so's area."

Read on for tips on how to ensure that others aren't approaching you for favors that you're not ready to give.

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